


First

by jargonelle



Category: Arrested Development
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2018-01-25 09:32:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1643930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jargonelle/pseuds/jargonelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for ad-kink.livejournal.com, for the prompt 'Lindsay got married young.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	First

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings for Lindsay's canon childhood (eating disorders, emotional abuse)

Word:

“Daddy, what was my first word?” Lindsay asks. 

Maeby seems to have bypassed 'Mom' in favour of 'No!' and it's driving Lindsay crazy. If she ever feels the need to hear that she can always just ask Tobias to sleep with her.

Her father shrugs. “How would I know? It's not like-”

“Your first word was more,” her mother says, butting into the conversation. “I always knew you'd be a glutton. The nanny told me. Poor woman, she thought I'd actually care.”

Before she leaves for the airport, her father pulls her aside and into a hug and tells her, 'The first thing I remember you saying to me was 'Dada'.”

Lindsay feels like crying, but she can't, she's too exhausted and brittle.

“You know can stay here, you don't have to go back to Boston. He's not good enough for you, you realize that, right?”

“He's my husband,” she says, automatically, “but thanks.”

“It's just, you're so young Lindsay...”

“Don't worry, I didn't rush into things like Michael and Tracey. I'm not in college any more, Dada.”

Her father hands her an envelope. “Speaking of... your maternity pay. Go buy yourself something pretty.”

~~

Grade:

Lindsay's taller than Michael, taller than GOB even, by the time she begins school, and her brothers hate it. Buster's still a baby, but she's sure he hates her too; he's always cried the few times she's tried to pick him up, and he never calms down until he's back in their mother's arms. 

She doesn't go with Michael and GOB to school straight away though, instead she starts at a special school, where she introduces herself as 'Lindsay, I'm five' and her mother adds, 'Well, mentally, at least,” and everyone nods and looks sad and she doesn't get why.

~~

Period:

She's twelve when she wakes up with blood on her sheets, and the thrilled realization that this is a Bluth family milestone that she doesn't have to share. She leaves the stained bedding for the maid to deal with and proudly announces over breakfast that she's a woman now, causing GOB to spit out a mouthful of tomato juice and Buster to cover his ears.

“Thin girls don't even have periods,” her mother says, ostensibly to her martini glass, but Lindsay knows better.

Not even that evening's 'Your woman now, Lindsay!' banner can coax her out of her room.

~~

Degree:

She goes to see Michael down at the Banana Stand, because she's really popular and therefore good for business, but mainly because she's really hungry. He gives her the largest helping of chocolate and nuts she's ever seen.

“Michael, why so generous? It's not even my birthday!”

“Our birthday.”

Like she ever needs reminding.

Michael scopes out the boardwalk and takes a deep breath, as if he's going to reveal a secret. He's always been melodramatic. “I've got it all figured out. I'm going to be a lawyer. I'll major in business, of course, like Dad wants, but then I'll make my case for law school and I'm sure he'll see the sense in that.”

“Why do you even care what he wants? GOB's a constant disappointment to our parents and they still buy him whatever stupid crap he's into.”

“At least I know what I want from life, Lindsay, do you?”

She takes a bite of her banana then to stall for time, nibbling slowly up and down the sides as she's got to make it last. Mama has the maid search her room for snacks.

“I don't know why I even bothered asking.”

~~

Aid:

“Hey Michael, it's Lindsay. Just calling to tell you that I do know what I want from life, you stupid judgmental asshole. I'm a humanitarian. I help people. The world. Trees. Endangered species. Kids with... one arm shorter than the other. Whatever. Oh, and thanks for the invite to your wedding. I'll be there. And I'll be bringing a guest. My boyfriend. He's a doctor, Michael, did I ever tell you that? He really helps people. We go on marches together. I mean, what does the Bluth company actually do? Whatever it is, I hope it makes you happy.”

~~ 

Dance:

The wedding had been a typical Bluth family affair, GOB had made certain of that. Even if Tracey hadn't been soaked in hairspray, their mother's breath surely would have ignited something inappropriate, and Buster had taken advantage of the chaos and slipped away to gorge himself on fruit juice. Michael and Tracey still had managed to share a dance though, somehow perfectly in sync despite Michael's general ineptitude and Tracey's awkward stomach, and while Tobias possessed somewhat surprising agility, she felt like they were always slightly out of step with each other.

She's sitting alone at the Bluth table when Michael collapses into the chair next to her. “You're not going to try the cake?” he asks. He looks devastating, handsome in his suit and there's a smile bursting out from behind his eyes that beats anything Lindsay's ever seen in herself in a changing room mirror.

“Wedding diet,” she says. “I realize Tracey didn't get the memo, but just because today's your 'big day' she didn't need to put on twenty pounds.”

Michael laughs and beckons a finger at her. “Come here. I wanna tell you a secret.” Lindsay obligingly moves in and Michael whispers, “She's pregnant. That's why we got married so soon.”

“Jesus Christ, Michael, is she Catholic or something? Hell, didn't Dad give you the talk about condoms and abortions and how it's ok to live in sin?”

“No, no, thank God, no, no he didn't. But that was er... good of him to do that for you,” Michael stammers. “We just, you know, it was Father's Day, and we were both back for the weekend and I hadn't seen her in forever, and one thing led to another and now...”

“Til death do you part?”

“Exactly!” he says, and he doesn't look afraid or trapped or angry or anything Lindsay imagined she'd be. “It feels right. Like... fate maybe. But a good fate. Like the universe wants us to be together and was just waiting for the opportunity.”

Lindsay makes the mistake of looking for Tobias at that moment, and sees him waltzing with one of the caterers. They make eye contact for a second, but then he shrugs and is whisked away.

Michael stands and offers his hand to her. “Come dance with me. You're the second most beautiful woman here.”

Lindsay can't bring herself to turn down the opportunity to dance with the most attractive man at the party, even if he is her brother. Plus Michael's always had a bit of a thing for her, she knows that, and it's sweet of him to try and cover it up, even a little.

When the music stops they stand still for a minute, arms wrapped around each other, until Tracey comes and leads him away and it hits Lindsay suddenly that she's lost him, that her lifelong status as his twin means nothing compared to Tracey's position as his wife.

~~

Strike:

Step One: Wedding. She swiped Nana's engagement ring years ago, so the proposal's taken care of, and it needs to be as soon as possible because Michael'll insist on bringing Tracey and Lindsay doesn't want there to be any risk of a birth upstaging the happiest day of her life.

Step Two: Honeymoon. She and Tobias haven't slept together yet. He's older, she's experienced, it makes sense to wait. Plus this way she'll have the moral high ground. 

Step Three: Get pregnant. It should only take one or two attempts. And if not, well she's rich. She can afford IVF.

~~ 

... and Last:

“Daddy, what was my first word?” Lindsay asks. 

Maeby seems to have bypassed 'Mom' in favour of 'No!' and it's driving Lindsay crazy. If she ever feels the need to hear that she can always just ask Tobias to sleep with her.

Her father shrugs. “How would I know? It's not like-”

“Your first word was more,” her mother says, butting into the conversation. “I always knew you'd be a glutton. The nanny told me. Poor woman, she thought I'd actually care.”

Before she leaves for the airport, her father pulls her aside and into a hug and tells her, 'The first thing I remember you saying to me was 'Dada'.”

Lindsay feels like crying, but she can't, she's too exhausted and brittle.

“You know can stay here, you don't have to go back to Boston. He's not good enough for you, you realize that, right?”

“He's my husband,” she says, automatically, “but thanks.”

“It's just, you're so young Lindsay...”

“Don't worry, I didn't rush into things like Michael and Tracey. I'm not in college any more, Dada.”

Her father hands her an envelope. “Speaking of... your maternity pay. Go buy yourself something pretty.”

~~

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Macaroni and Cheese](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1995675) by [CurlsandMarigolds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurlsandMarigolds/pseuds/CurlsandMarigolds)




End file.
